Retro Rehash - Star Wars Republic Commando: Fragging Tinnies

Beneath my layers of cynicism, disappointment and burning resentment, I am and always will be, a Star Wars fan.  It's in my nature.  No matter how many half-arsed, poorly produced, badly written pieces of fierfek Lucas authorises I will stand firm, albeit embarrassed, by my universe.  It makes no sense really, it's the produce of my inner fanatic, nay, my inner religiosity.  I've grown up with Star Wars and I'll be damned if I'll be run out of town by the blatant money grabbing which has come to epitomise everything about the series.  I mean come on, Oshaka Tano?  Really George, do you hate us that much?  But on top of my blind adoration sits a nugget of hope that every once in a while still glints, is still capable of rousing my wounded loyalty.  A small gust of wind clears the ashes of so many cash ins and I can feel that Star Warsiness again.
             

Clear the way Delta.

In Star Wars: Republic Commando I found a respite from Jar Jar Binks, Anakin Skywalker, droids cracking wise and the oh dear god pain of it all.  In a sound choice, Lucasarts took this foray into the universe in a completely different direction, a grittier direction, than we have seen before.  Bypassing Jedi, Sith and the whole galactic wide shabang you are thrown into the fire that is the Clone Wars with nothing but your Decce, wits and three man team of elite Commandos.  Lead animator David Bogan said he wanted to "focus in on the military aspect of Star Wars," and I think he and his team did a pretty fine job.  From blasting doors, slicing terminals and altogether behaving like unstoppable badasses, you get to take the war to the Separatists like never before.  That isn't to say the game doesn't have it's flaws, but we can get to those later.
                   
Opening with the battle of Geonosis as seen in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, you progress through three separate campaigns in varying locales.  Through the bowels of a ghost ship fighting off Trandoshian slaver scum, the lofty heights of the Wookie homeworld, Kashyyk and the droid foundries of Geonosis.  Each has it's own distinct flavour and never feels like a rehash of what's gone before.  It speaks volumes such detail was put into a genre that often suffers from the same tired and recycled scenery all executed with minimal effort.  Actually, the entire game enjoys a level of attention not seen in a Star Wars game since Knight's of the Old Republic, with everything from the sound to the command hud being designed to a tee.  Utilising Foley Sound, originally designed for film, Republic Commando specialises in bringing the whole package.  Creaking armour and the approach of enemies coincides with the visual presentation with natural precision.  Would you like to know more? Take a look below.

                                   

Sniper Rifles, AKA Precision Shotguns 

On the subject of realism, the command interface for your squad is deserving of special mention. Whether you're ordering your men to take firing positions to fend off a particularly nasty Sep ambush, or to slice a door for rapid entry, at no point did I feel handicapped by the system.  Using a collection of five keys you can keep your squad under control and firmly on the objective.  Thinking about it, my buddies Sev, Fixer and Scorch are probably the best NPC allies I've ever had, even having the nonce to beat off an attack before coming to rescue my sorry shebs.  On  many an occasion I found myself embarrassingly incapacitated and being chastised for my gung ho attitude while being revived.  It was a humbling experience being told off by an NPC that was actually right  for a change. It has to be said that Republic Commando isn't a game in which you can readily run and gun, but nor does it suffer the shame of cover-based game play.  You can order your men to take certain positions and you can feel free to shield yourself behind a wall, but don't for a second think you'll be cowering there for long.  It's all about the action baby.  With your Decce ion blaster and it's multiple attachments you'll be raising hell and fighting for your life.  Choosing which attachment to use in any given situation does require a bit of a knack, for instance you'd better be saving those armour piercing grenades for the droid heavies and not wasting them on your bob standard battle variants, even if they do clear a room faster than a Nemoidian tax collector.  My personal favourite was the sniper attachment, packing one hell of a wallop and accuracy all in one neat package.

But just as the Republic are efficient and roll all their killing implements into one, the other races in the game possess their own unique styles and quirks.  The Trandoshians' are projectile based, nasty and look like they've been put together with all the care and attention warranted in your average  Toydarian junk store.  Meanwhile the Geonosian beam weapon is a clicking, clacking, breakable looking thing that belays it's deadliness.  My only real complaint is that the basic Decce is unsuited for killing anything tougher than a battle droid with any ease and lacks the punch to stick it to heavier opponents.  So balls to the wall you'd better have a thermal detonator handy or it's lights out for Delta Squad.

Trandoshian Weaponry: Good as new with a slap of paint.

Having complimented the game to within an inch of worship there are a few problems that need addressing. First and most importantly of all, it feels a bit short.  I ran through it in about eight hours and while this is standard fair for a shooter I was kind of hoping that the Lucasarts team would have gone that extra parsec like they had throughout.  I was genuinely disappointed when I reached the end credits, although that could just be a sign of wanting more of a good thing.  Also, while the selection of weapons is eclectic it's not that vast, with about six pieces besides those which are attachments for your standard Decce.  This may seem a small gripe, but it would have been fun to really put those Commando skills to the test with a more blistering arsenal and customisable load out.
                     
So coming to the end Star Wars: Republic Commando is a first rate, standout shooter that does almost everything right.  The detail is truly fantastic and keeps the player immersed in a universe which seems genuinely alive, well until you start killing things.  It demonstrates that there is still mileage left in the Star Wars engine if the time and effort is invested properly, and not on anymore drivel that is meant to convince us Anakin Skywalker is Darth Vader.  Delta Squad are a fine addition to the universe fully deserving of their place in the lore, alongside Han Solo, the Death Star and even Jabba the Hutt.  As surely as Republic Commando deserves a place in your video game collection.

You Disobeyed the Law: Dredd

These days violence is everywhere, be it in movies, video games or right outside your living room window if you happen to live in Hull. So it's fair to say that it's hard to really effect an audience, draw them in with a little mindless gun play and pints of fake blood. It has to be crafted, it has to seem necessary and most of all it has to toe the line between being gratuitous and justifiable. It is in this sweet spot that Dredd operates. Is it brutal? Yes. Does it make you cringe at times? Yes. Does it fit the tone, the character, the entire movies focus? Hell yes. You see being an 18 Dredd has the license to push boundaries and be downright bloody, but director Pete Travis seems to have twigged that gore alone doesn't make a film. It can in fact ruin one. So he set out to make a flick that is adult, in keeping with the Judge Dredd universe and doesn't lose itself in the process to childish Saw V antics. Something which could have easily been done with a character like Dredd, a one man wrecking machine with the ability to dole out justice straight into the brain pan of any would be criminal. A Dredd directed by Paul W.S Anderson really.

Smiling's for pussies and criminals.

So it was going to take a pretty stoic and outright badass actor to take on the role of Mega City Ones most unstoppable Judge. Someone like Bruce Willis, Jason Statham or the guy who played the green Power Ranger for instance. They got Karl Urban, and by the end of the movie I could barely comprehend why I would have ever wanted anyone else. Never removing his helmet the entire film it was going to be quite the challenge to portray Dredd as anything but an automaton, maybe packing a few quips but lacking in any real personality. For while not a complicated character to portray in any other action movie, being unable to express yourself with a full set of facial features is one huge handicap. Yet somehow, Urban pulls it off. With a voice that sounds like he chugs gravel like normal men down coffee, a mouth which has never even seen a picture, of a ghost of a smile, and an intimidating screen presence he brings Dredd to life and revels in it. He is the law and I'll be damned if I'm going to disagree.

Judges Dredd and Anderson enforcing the law.

Lena Headey as Ma-Ma: She's a wholesome lady.

Now that we have our enforcer, our title character it was up to writer Alex Garland to put Dredd in just the right situation for his select number of personality traits to shine. There couldn't be a repeat of Stallone's rambling mess or the franchise would never rise again. So enter a rookie Judge (Olivia Thirlby), a drug lord with serious anger management issues (Lena Headey) and 200 levels of degenerate criminal scum and you've got yourself a Judge's worst nightmare. Any Judge that isn't Dredd of course. Even with Olivia Thirlby's trainee Judge Anderson in tow he's a one man army and completely devout in his pursuit of justice, which amounts to some exceptionally cool set piece shoot outs and you leaving the cinema feeling pumped up to the eyeballs with manly testosterone. Anderson, it must be said, acts as a fine counter pose to Urban's slab of concrete emotional dysfunction, bringing a much needed human element to the film. As between Ma-Ma (Lena Headey) and Dredd there are some very extreme and psychotic personas flying about vying for attention, sometimes in the form of mini guns and brutal executions. So it's nice to have Anderson's grounding influence to remind us we haven't strayed into an asylum for gun wielding sociopaths.

Fear not citizens, I'm only out for a jog.

Being a post apocalyptic setting Dredd has to come with a certain desperation, a battle for survival that is defining of the time. In this area Dredd pulls off a more than passable depiction of a world in ruins, of corruption and crime running rampant. Every now and again the sets do seem a bit bear but it fits the aesthetic of the movie and doesn't feel like a cop out on the part of the budget. A few times I was reminded of the original Total Recall by the general murkiness of the world, minus the venerable Shwarzenegger that is. Without a doubt the entire movies success stems from it's serious tone, pulling away from the ridiculous campiness of the original in favour of a grittiness more in keeping with the series.

Coming to a conclusion Dredd is easily my favourite movie of the year, beating out The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises for the top spot. And this is for one simple reason. It achieves everything it sets out to do. There are no moments where I felt the plot, the script or the action had dropped the ball and to me that's just plain impressive. It's boxes of action, violence and comic book loyalty are all neatly ticked. It was tightly executed from beginning to finish and I really hope to see another in the offing, as where else can anyone be both a bit nerdy and bloodthirsty in cinema these days?